Typically, water-bearing, domestic appliances require a connection to an external source of water in the home. Accordingly, a water inlet valve may be attached to the appliance at a base region or on a frame. The attachment of the water inlet valve must be sufficiently secure to prevent rattling of the water inlet valve and any other structured associated with the water inlet valve's attachment. For example, the valve may be external to a treatment chamber of the appliance where there is less sound insulation and the flow of water through the valve may cause it to vibrate and generate noise if it is not secured tightly. Moreover, the valve must be held sufficiently securely to the appliance such that it does not come loose from the appliance once the appliance is installed, e.g., during use.
To secure the water inlet valve to the base of the appliance, prior art technologies have sought to securely attach the water inlet valve to the base, albeit with deficiencies. One prior art technology (see, e.g., FIG. 2) involves attaching the water inlet valve to a plate with screws or other fasteners and the plate is, in turn, attached to the base of the appliance with more screws or other fasteners. This technology is flawed in that assembly requires numerous tools to attach all of the screws or other fasteners, the screws or other fasteners add further costs, and the assembly requires a great deal of time because of the need to attach several screws or other fasteners
Another prior art technology (see, e.g., FIGS. 3 and 4) involves attaching the water inlet valve to a flat plate, which is in turn attached to the base of the appliance, but without the use of any screws or other fasteners. A similar prior art technology (see, e.g., FIGS. 5 and 6), which is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20140174569 and German Patent Application Publication No. DE 10 2012 224 303, involves the attachment of the water inlet valve to an angled plate, which is in turn connected to the base, without the use of any screws or other fasteners. These technologies are deficient in that assembly is difficult and the base must be produced with a large opening to accommodate either the flat plate or the angled plate.